John Olerud - What's the deal?

[DaddyTorgo]

What's the deal with him? Why does he wear a batting helmet in the field? Is he deathly afraid of being hit in the head by a line-drive or something?

[Token Asian Guy]

actually it's a birth defect, he was born with a helmet for a skull.

[vex]

Aneurism, IIRC.

[Johnny93g]

he wears the helmet now cuz he's used to it....

[Young Drachma]

Aneurism, IIRC.

Yeah, to avoid being hit in the head. He's always done it.

[dawgfan]

While in college he had a brain aneurysm. As a precaution, he's worn the batting helmet in the field ever since. I'm not sure if he also wore it while pitching, or if he stopped pitching after it happened (he was a good enough pitcher that some scouts thought he could've made it to the show that way as well).

[Fonzie]

actually it's a birth defect, he was born with a helmet for a skull.
I prefer this explanation, so this is what I will choose to believe.

[lighthousekeeper]

i thought this thread was going to be along the lines of:

enter Seinfeld, stage right

...and what's the deal with John Olerud? I mean he's hitting around .400 this year, he's a career .300 hitter, is a proven doubles machine, a great fielder, and he can't even find a job as a regular player. The guy should be an all star. I mean wha-aat's the deal?

...and meanwhile, you've got Travis Lee, hitting .239 with 2 homers, playing every day! I mean wha-aat's the deal?

cue theme music, camera fades

[sovereignstar]

Is he deathly afraid of being hit in the head by a line-drive or something?
Gee, you were awfully close.
http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[DaddyTorgo]

Gee, you were awfully close.
http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif
well i knew it was pretty much that, but i couldn't remember the actual reason, if it was a medical thing, or just a huge fear. plus i just wanted to make a thread

[Maple Leafs]

If I remember the story right, he had the aneurysm in college. It didn't seem serious at first and was being treated that way, but his father was a doctor and noticed that something seemed to be seriously wrong -- that probably saved his life.

[Philliesfan980]

What's amazing though is Rickey Henderson actually played with 2 different guys who wore helmets while playing 1B!

[korme]

While in college he had a brain aneurysm. As a precaution, he's worn the batting helmet in the field ever since. I'm not sure if he also wore it while pitching, or if he stopped pitching after it happened (he was a good enough pitcher that some scouts thought he could've made it to the show that way as well).
Wow, 5 posts until the actual answer was reported.. thought it was more common knowledge than that..

[JeeberD]

Ummm...doesn't the second response say the same basic thing, Shortstuff?

[korme]

Ummm...doesn't the second response say the same basic thing, Shortstuff?
Yea but that doesn't really help for someone who doesn't know what happened. That's like a too small amount of info.

[JeeberD]

Well, it's not like this was an essay question or anything. "Why does John Olerud wear a batting helmet in the field? Please go into detail and give examples. If sources are used, please cite them."

[Blade]

Yah, I remember watching the 90's Jays, and they would talk about that. He wears it because it makes him feel a little safer, though the doctors said he has as much chance of having another aneurysm as anyone else and doesn't really need to wear it.

[sterlingice]

actually it's a birth defect, he was born with a helmet for a skull.
Beautiful :D

SI

[Glengoyne]

I don't recall him wearing it when he pitched or fielded in college, but the aneurism answers have the right of it. I don't recall him wearing it while fielding either, and for some reason I'm thinking he played in the outfield in college.

One of the best college baseball players ever.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

I hear Keith Olberman's mom wears a helmet to baseball games.

[DanGarion]

I wear a helmet when I go to bed...

[DanGarion]

What's amazing though is Rickey Henderson actually played with 2 different guys who wore helmets while playing 1B!
Who's the second guy?

[Desnudo]

Who's the second guy?

http://www.sek-c.com/upload/files/cheeseburger_helmit.jpg

[Maple Leafs]

What's amazing though is Rickey Henderson actually played with 2 different guys who wore helmets while playing 1B!
I love this story, and have made a conscious decision to not care whether or not it's true.

"Hey man, what's up with that crazy hat?"

[Philliesfan980]

Who's the second guy?

It was more of a joke than anything else, but I guess not that many people know about it.

Rickey Henderson and Olerud played on the Mets together I think back in 99.

Rickey Henderson and Olerud played on the Mariners together probably back in 2002 or around that time.

Basically, when Henderson was with the Mariners, he went up to Olerud and said "Hey, I used to play with a guy who used to wear a helmet in the field". Normally this would go over as a funny joke, but Henderson was dead serious, and really didn't know who Olerud was, much less that he was his former teammate!

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Sounds like either Rickey was going senile in his old age, or he should have been the one wearing the helmet.

[jamesUMD]

Sounds like either Rickey was going senile in his old age, or he should have been the one wearing the helmet.
I think it was more like a white powder that blurred his recollection of Olerud.;)

[Maple Leafs]

Rickey Henderson and Olerud played on the Mets together I think back in 99.

Rickey Henderson and Olerud played on the Mariners together probably back in 2002 or around that time.(They also played together on the 1993 World Champion Blue Jays.)

[Philliesfan980]

(They also played together on the 1993 World Champion Blue Jays.)

I can't believe I forgot! (check screen name)

[Young Drachma]

(They also played together on the 1993 World Champion Blue Jays.)

I was just going to say.... "uh, they played together before that." That's probably why he forgot. He remembered the guy from '93, but couldn't remember it was Olerud. Henderson was acquired by the Jays before the deadline that year. So he didn't spend much time in Toronto. That probably explains why he didn't remember him.

Even though it seems kinda dumb.

[Travis]

Rickey has a problem remembering other players names because they don't tend to talk in the third person every conversation.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if he walks around wondering why so many guys in the majors are named 'I'...

[Fonzie]

http://www.sek-c.com/upload/files/cheeseburger_helmit.jpg
That's not right.

[Suicane75]

That burger reminds me of Elle. Mmmmmmm.

[DanGarion]

It was more of a joke than anything else, but I guess not that many people know about it.

Rickey Henderson and Olerud played on the Mets together I think back in 99.

Rickey Henderson and Olerud played on the Mariners together probably back in 2002 or around that time.

Basically, when Henderson was with the Mariners, he went up to Olerud and said "Hey, I used to play with a guy who used to wear a helmet in the field". Normally this would go over as a funny joke, but Henderson was dead serious, and really didn't know who Olerud was, much less that he was his former teammate!
You know I was thinking that was what you meant.

[GoldenEagle]

http://www.sek-c.com/upload/files/cheeseburger_helmit.jpg
I was wondering what Cecil Fielder was up to these days.

[stevew]

Since it's a thread about John Olerud, and I don't think I should start another new thread.

Half Baked Baseball What If-
What if Olerud was drafted by a National League club who also encouraged him to refine his pitching. As an on demand LOOGY, is it possible that he becomes one of the most versitile/valuable players of our lifetime? Would it be possible for him to come in(and the pitcher to move to 1b) and get a clutch lefthanded out at any key point in the game?

I'm just really bored, dunno why this came into my head today.

[Draft Dodger]

I believe it is possible

[dawgfan]

Hard to imagine that he could spend enough time working on both to be productive at a major league level, but who knows - he went straight from college to the majors as a hitter.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I know he had a horrible mental breakdown...but what about Rick Ankiel? I know he's not a lefty, but dude was damn good. Moving the pitcher to CF would be a bit of a crazy idea, but if you had a 1B who could move to the OF...

[stevew]

Ankiel is a lefty.

With Olerud, I'm wondering what the development/resources you'd have had to invest in him in order for him to come in and get one left handed batter out on a semi-regular basis. This was never possible in the AL, as it would have screwed up the DH rules, etc.

I don't know how advanced of a pitching prospect the guy truly was, his sophomore year looks amazing, but the post brain season doesn't look great.
The fact that he was able to entirely skip the minors as a hitter is at least an indication that this was a special player.

[mauchow]

Since it's a thread about John Olerud, and I don't think I should start another new thread.

Half Baked Baseball What If-
What if Olerud was drafted by a National League club who also encouraged him to refine his pitching. As an on demand LOOGY, is it possible that he becomes one of the most versitile/valuable players of our lifetime? Would it be possible for him to come in(and the pitcher to move to 1b) and get a clutch lefthanded out at any key point in the game?

I'm just really bored, dunno why this came into my head today.

Lou Piniella last season pitched left-hander Sean Marshall against one batter before moving Marshall into left field. When the next batter was out, Marshall went back to the mound to pitch. That would be damn interesting if you had two very versatile players that could be interchanged at any point of the game.

[lungs]

Brooks Kieschnick

[dawgfan]

Brooks Kieschnick
He's kind of the exception that proves the rule - he wasn't good enough in either capacity to last long as a major leaguer.

I think there are a lot of guys with the talent to pitch or hit at the major league level, but exceptionally few (if any) that can do both. Ankiel obviously had enough talent to both, but not at the same time.

Another thing to consider - if Olerud (in this scenario) is usually playing 1B, how does he warm up to pitch?

[rowech]

THis game was my first recollection of seeing it done...Davey Johnson did it really well. This was a such a wild game. I was 10 but remember almost every detail. Parker with an idiot flip of the final out of the game and the ball goes out of his glove...hated him from that moment on. A big fight between Eric Davis and Ray Knight at 3rd. Great game...bad result...

July 22, 1986 New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN198607220.shtml)

[lungs]

He's kind of the exception that proves the rule - he wasn't good enough in either capacity to last long as a major leaguer.


Well, honestly, the two-way thing for Kieschnick was just breathing a little more life into an already fading career. He didn't make it back to the big leagues as a two-way player until he was 31 years old. The first year his pitching wasn't all that great (5.26 ERA) but his hitting was great (.970 OPS). The next year his pitching was better while his hitting fell off.

I don't think you could pull this off with a star player but having a guy like Kieschnick as a 25th man gives a team a lot of flexibility.

[Draft Dodger]

THis game was my first recollection of seeing it done...Davey Johnson did it really well. This was a such a wild game. I was 10 but remember almost every detail. Parker with an idiot flip of the final out of the game and the ball goes out of his glove...hated him from that moment on. A big fight between Eric Davis and Ray Knight at 3rd. Great game...bad result...

July 22, 1986 New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN198607220.shtml)

I seem to recall Fernando Valenzuela doing this with LA once

[Swaggs]

I didn't see the game, but read about it in Willie Stargell's autobiography and then later saw a snippet about it during a documentary, but in 1979 the Pittsburgh Pirates did this with Kent Tekulve and a lefthanded reliever for an entire 9th (may have been an extra) inning. If folks remember Tekulve, he was 6'4 and weighed 140 lbs and had one of the oddest, most un-athletic builds in baseball history, but he caught a flyball in leftfield to end the game.

[Maple Leafs]

Was Olerud a good pitcher? I thought I remembered him being a junk-baller who was never remotely a serious pitching prospect.

All that aside... What if an AL team tried that pitcher switch move? Would they lose the DH, or does that only happen if the DH takes the field?

[Glengoyne]

Was Olerud a good pitcher? I thought I remembered him being a junk-baller who was never remotely a serious pitching prospect.

All that aside... What if an AL team tried that pitcher switch move? Would they lose the DH, or does that only happen if the DH takes the field?

In college he was a dominant pitcher. College player of the year, IIRC, pitching and playing the field.

[stevew]

Another thing to consider - if Olerud (in this scenario) is usually playing 1B, how does he warm up to pitch?

It's a half baked idea....you really thought I took careful consideration to every single important detail :)

I'd assume if you were considering using him vs certain batters you would have him get loose in the tunnel between innings. Plus he'd get his warmup tosses.

You might actually have to resort to only using him for full innings.

[Butter]

THis game was my first recollection of seeing it done...Davey Johnson did it really well. This was a such a wild game. I was 10 but remember almost every detail. Parker with an idiot flip of the final out of the game and the ball goes out of his glove...hated him from that moment on. A big fight between Eric Davis and Ray Knight at 3rd. Great game...bad result...

July 22, 1986 New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN198607220.shtml)


I remember this game too! Dave Parker's stupid glove flip when he caught a fly ball caused the ball to fly out of his glove... yes, definitely remember that.